UFC Cuts Joe Stevenson After Four Straight Losses

The UFC recently announced that another prominent fighter on their roster will no longer be fighting in their famed octagon.

Newly minted featherweight and former lightweight top contender Joe Stevenson was released by the UFC following his fourth consecutive loss, to Javier Vazquez at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry, reports MMAFighting.com.

Stevenson lost his latest contest to Vazquez in late June, looking for a career resurgence by dropping down to 145 pounds.

However, the weight cut was not enough, with Stevenson losing by unanimous decision.

Stevenson debuted with the promotion in 2005, winning the second season of the Ultimate Fighter by defeating Luke Cummo in the finale.

He went 5-1 before facing off against legend BJ Penn for the lightweight title, but lost the bout via rear naked choke in the second round at UFC 80.

After the title shot, Stevenson never looked the same, mustering only a 3-6 record after the loss to Penn.

Having not won since 2009, the fourth straight loss was detrimental to Stevenson who was already riding thin ice leading up to his debut at featherweight.

The news of Stevenson's release comes on the heels of many other notable cuts by the Zuffa organization, with former Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko and various members of the Golden Glory fight team also let go.

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